The Weakest Link

Any collection is only as strong as the weakest piece making up the whole. Any building is only as sturdy as the weakest beams created in its frame. Any team is only as strong as the worst player. Any chain can only hold as much weight as the weakest link. No matter how strong the collective whole may seem, all it takes is for the weakest link to crumble for the whole entity to collapse. Instead of only focusing on the strongest sections, the strongest pieces, and the most secure parts, spending time raising the ability of the weakest link can be the difference between standing the test of time or crumbling under pressure.

In sports when game planning to face your opponent, time is generally focused on two areas. The first is minimizing the effect of your opponent’s best player. You know unless you can stop them, you will have a difficult time winning. The other area is focused on attacking, not defending. You search for exploits in their weakest area. You search for the chink in their armor that your team can cause serious damage through. You know if you can find and destroy their weakest link, you will win. Attention is spent focusing on the area that is weakest because of the impact it can have on the whole if it’s impacted.

Removing yourself from the sports world, you all have a chink in your own armor. You all have a vice, a bad habit, or a tendency to fail when certain environments present themselves to you. Addressing the individual weakest link in your personal chain is oftentimes the fastest way to improvement. If you are trying to instill a habit but continue to find yourself falling into old habits, do things to make the new habit easier and the old habit harder. Reinforce the links of your chain. Don’t expect them to handle the stress of time and life on their own. They require maintenance.

If you want to lose weight but find yourself falling into the habit of late-night snacking, remove the easily accessible junk food you have. This reinforces your ability to have self-control. If you want to read more instead of watching so much television, put your television remote in the other room and leave your book on the couch. Change your environment and build up the links of your chain.

So much focus in life is spent on the already secure parts of your life that the weakest parts are neglected. They can be neglected until it’s too late. In a push to become the best person you can be, focusing on where your chain is the weakest is the best path to raising your collective ability across the board. The strength of one link won’t matter if the chain breaks under the pressure somewhere else. Make your chain as strong as it can be.